The savviest minds at the Law & Economics Center at George Mason University’s School of Law know that it’s easier to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar — or Hill Country BBQ, as the case may be.

(CQ Roll Call Photo Illustration)

Karen Czarnecki, director of education at Mason’s Law & Economics Center, said the decision to seed the semi-regular policy luncheons with imported Texas-style barbecue predates her tenure with the school. But she can vouch for its efficacy.

“It has been very popular and is served at every briefing,” she said of the crowd-pleasing spread. Per Czarnecki, the Congressional Civil Justice Caucus Academy Briefings take place about once per month, with topics ranging from how the Dodd-Frank Act has bolstered state attorneys general to unraveling the dizzying web of Medicare reimbursements .

(CQ Roll Call Photo Illustration)

“The educational programs provide a bipartisan, balanced forum for discussion and debate of civil justice issues,” Czarnecki told HOH, adding that the programs are open to everyone from sitting lawmakers to the general public.

The most widely attended gathering to date was the July 2012 pow-wow focusing on the 10th anniversary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which featured a guest appearance by ex-Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va..

Hungry for more?

The next bull session/gratis Hill Country feast is scheduled to take place on Sept. 12. The topic and speakers remain TBD.